Martin Campbell

Martin Campbell to Direct Conspiracy Drama UMBRA; Paul Haggis Rewriting Screenplay

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 6th, 2012 at 12:15 pm

Just as director Joe Carnahan (The A-Team) exits the drama Umbra, the project gains a new director and screenwriter. Deadline reports that Casino Royale director Martin Campbell has been set to helm the pic, which centers on “a business man who gets a mysterious package in the mail and gets caught up in a government conspiracy.” In addition to Campbell jumping onboard, Paul Haggis (Crash) has been brought on to rewrite the screenplay. Haggis previously did rewrite work for Campbell on Royale, so the two have a rapport. Deadline’s report says Carnahan’s exit from the project was amicable, as The Grey director dropped out for personal reasons.

The original draft of the script was written by Steven Karczynski and Carnahan had done some rewriting before he left. There’s no word on the extent to which Haggis will rework the script, but production is set to begin in the spring so I presume it’s fairly minimal. Campbell is coming off of the less-than-stellar Green Lantern, and was recently tapped to helm the pilot for ABC’s thriller series The Last Resort. While Green Lantern was a giant misstep, I’m usually a fan of Campbell’s work so I’m excited to see him move back to more dramatic material.

Martin Campbell to Direct ABC Pilot THE LAST RESORT from Creator Shawn Ryan

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 4th, 2012 at 6:15 pm

Coming off the lackluster Green Lantern, director Martin Campbell is dipping his toe back into television. THR reports that Campbell has signed on to direct the pilot for the thriller The Last Resort. The series centers on “the crew of a U.S. nuclear submarine who, after ignoring an order to fire nuclear missiles, wind up being hunted and escape to a NATO outpost where they declare themselves to be the world’s smallest nuclear nation.” It’s a fantastic premise, and The Shield’s Shawn Ryan and Dead Like Me’s Karl Gajdusek are the key creative team behind the futuristic drama. In addition to directing the pilot, Campbell will serve as executive producer.

While he’s best known for films like GoldenEye, The Mask of Zorro, and Casino Royale, Campbell actually got his start in television. He worked mainly in British TV, on series like The Professionals and Edge of Darkness (which he later remade as a feature in 2010 starring Mel Gibson). Hopefully ABC picks up the Resort pilot to series as the premise and creative talent involved have my interest adequately piqued. Campbell’s follow-up to Green Lantern has yet to be decided, but we recently learned that he may direct a feature adaptation of the TV series The Fall Guy.

Martin Campbell May Direct THE FALL GUY

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: October 31st, 2011 at 1:27 pm

Coming off of the less-than-stellar Green Lantern, director Martin Campbell may now helm an adaptation of a different sort. Deadline reports that the Casino Royale director is in early discussions to helm the feature film adaptation of the TV series The Fall Guy. The series ran on ABC from 1981 to 1986 and starred Lee Majors as a stuntman who used his expertise in special effects and stunts to moonlight as a bounty hunter. The film is being written by X-Men: First Class and Thor scribes Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz. Walter Parkes is producing the adaptation. While a Green Lantern sequel is far from a certainty at the moment, Campbell previously stated that he had no intention of returning to the superhero franchise if one were to be produced. Miller and Stentz were recently hired to pen the Top Gun sequel for Jerry Bruckheimer. Hit the jump to watch the intro to the TV series.

GREEN LANTERN Blu-ray Review

by Andre Dellamorte    Posted: October 25th, 2011 at 10:51 am

This summer we got a comic-book origin tale about a man with father issues accepting his role as guardian and protector of the universe fighting against his someone he thought was a brother, with the film featuring an unnecessary love interest and a supporting cast that should have had more to do, on top of sequences set in outer space. Actually, we got two of those.

Superficially, the resemblances between Paramount/Marvel’s Thor and Warner Brothers/DC’s Green Lantern are hard to ignore, but Thor was a modest hit (or at least not a belly flop), while Green Lantern was the weakest performer of the summer’s comic book films. Both aren’t that good, but both have similar things to recommend: the world, and their villains. Here Ryan Reynolds stars as Hal Jordan, the cocky pilot who takes on the mantle of galactic defender, and must fight Parallax and Hector Hammond (Peter Sarsgaard) to keep Earth safe. Our review of Green Lantern on Blu-ray follows after the jump.

Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinov Talks GREEN LANTERN 2; Misunderstands Why GREEN LANTERN Failed

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: August 2nd, 2011 at 9:29 am

Now that all big four superhero movies have come out this summer, Green Lantern is clearly the biggest disappointment of the bunch.  Rather than charge into production on a sequel, Warner Bros. was forced to take a tepid wait-and-see approach to the international box office and home entertainment sales.  But Green Lantern 2 is certainly still in the studio’s mind and President Jeff Robinov believes that the problem wasn’t the concept but the execution.  However, the flaws he sees in the execution weren’t the ones that sunk the movie.

Hit the jump for what Robinov said the sequel needs to do in order to “improve” on the original.

GREEN LANTERN Review

by Bill Graham    Posted: June 16th, 2011 at 4:19 pm

Director Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern exists in a time when rainbow bridges aren’t laughed at and secret agent mutants enhance the drama, which is why the newest entry in DC Comics’ long lineage of films feels like a regression. The talent amassed for this origin story can understandably excite onlookers, but the end result won’t make many want to come back for more. A disjointed plot that may alienate audience members instead of pull them in is a bad start to Warner Brothers franchise kick-starter hopeful. The real shame is that Ryan Reynolds is a natural choice for Hal Jordan, and the rest of the cast exude similar confidence, but the material they are working with hinders the film from ever lifting off the ground. Even Campbell seems to be unwilling to commit to the material. Short, choppy, and overpopulated with CG and not enough heart, this is one comic book film you might want to skip this summer. Hit the jump for my full review.

Director Martin Campbell, Producer Donald De Line and Producer/Screenwriter Greg Berlanti Interview GREEN LANTERN

by Christina Radish    Posted: June 14th, 2011 at 10:46 pm

Since Martin Campbell is considered one of the industry’s premier action filmmakers, as the man behind two landmark James Bond films (GoldenEye and Casino Royale) and two Zorro films (The Mask of Zorro and The Legend of Zorro), it’s easy to see why he was brought in to helm the superhero action-adventure flick Green Lantern.  And, with veteran producer Donald De Line and producer/screenwriter Greg Berlanti also on board, the film is sure to be a blockbuster hit.

During a press conference at the film’s press day, Campbell, De Line and Berlanti talked about what it takes to create and launch a franchise like Green Lantern, condensing a great amount of source material into a movie that keeps fans of the character happy while also making it accessible for those unfamiliar with it, why they chose Hal Jordan as a starting point for the story, finding the right balance with how much of the film to have on Earth and how much to have in space, and how they hope to have some cool extras for the DVD/Blu-ray release. Martin Campbell also said that he’s not signed on to direct more Green Lantern films, at this point, that he hopes to do a small film next, and that there will be no more James Bond films in his future. Check out what they had to say after the jump:

15 Minutes of Behind the Scenes Footage from GREEN LANTERN

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: June 9th, 2011 at 3:24 pm

Thanks to Warner Bros. sending over the EPK (electronic press kit) from Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern, you can watch 15 minutes of behind the scenes footage.  If you’re trying to stay spoiler free, I urge you not to watch the footage as it’s loaded with potential spoilers.  However, if you’re curious how Green Lantern was made, the footage is awesome.  I especially enjoyed getting to see Geoffrey Rush and Michael Clarke Duncan do their voice over work as Tomar-Re and Kilowog (which is towards the end) and watching Mark Strong become Sinestro in the makeup chair.  You can also see Ryan Reynolds pretending to fly, tons of stunt work, and plenty of Blake Lively and Peter Sarsgaard.  Again, it’s some great footage.  Hit the jump to check it out.  Green Lantern open June 17th.

8 Clips from GREEN LANTERN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 6th, 2011 at 5:29 pm

The wait is almost over. Warner Bros. has released 8 new clips from director Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern, which hits theaters in less than two weeks. Based on the comic book, the film tells the story of Hal Jordan (Reynolds), the first human ever to join the intergalactic peacekeeping Green Lantern Corps. From all the recent trailers that have been released, and the huge batch of high resolution stills showing off finished visual effects, the film looks like it’s going to be pretty fantastic.

Hit the jump to watch the clips. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, and Tim Robbins. Green Lantern will be released in 3D on June 17^th.

Over 30 New High Resolution Images from GREEN LANTERN

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: June 3rd, 2011 at 12:14 pm

Warner Bros. has released a slew of images from their upcoming superhero flick Green Lantern. Some of the images are new, while a few of them we’ve seen before, but they all reflect finished visual-effects. Also included in the batch are a few official set images featuring director Martin Campbell. The film stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, and Tim Robbins, and tells the story of Hal Jordan (Reynolds), the first human ever to join the intergalactic peacekeeping Green Lantern Corps.

Hit the jump to check out the images.  Green Lantern opens in 3D on June 17th.

New GREEN LANTERN Behind-the-Scenes Featurette

by Jason Barr    Posted: May 31st, 2011 at 5:19 pm

With the film slated to hit 3D theaters on June 17th, Warner Bros. has released a new behind-the-scenes featurette for director Martin Campbell’s (Casino Royale) Green Lantern. Starring Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, and Tim Robbins, the film tells the story of Hal Jordan (Reynolds), the first human ever to join the intergalactic peacekeeping Green Lantern Corps. Even though I typically find Reynolds’ charm and sense of humor to be on point, I am still having trouble getting past what I’ve seen of Green Lantern‘s special effects thus far. I’m hoping that within the context of the full movie I’ll be able to adjust to the CGI suits. Only time will tell.

To check out the new behind-the-scenes featurette featuring commentary from Campbell, Reynolds, set designer Joseph Hiura, Geoff Johns, and producer Donald De Line (who goes all in by referring to Green Lantern as the “ultimate movie”), hit the jump. To check out all of our previous Green Lantern coverage, click here.

Director Martin Campbell On Set Interview GREEN LANTERN

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 17th, 2011 at 11:01 am

When Martin Campbell was first announced as the director of Warner Bros. Green Lantern movie, I’m sure some fans were disappointed.  The fact is, Campbell’s name doesn’t carry the same weight with fandom like Christopher Nolan and Jon Favreau.  But while some might have liked another director, Campbell has been making movies for decades and he knows how to frame action and tell a story.  In addition, he’s the one who successfully rebooted James Bond in Casino Royale, and it’s one of my favorite Bond movies.  Simply put: I thought Campbell was a solid choice and someone who could launch what will hopefully be a massive franchise.

Anyway, last year I got to visit the set of Green Lantern on the last day of principal photography. While there I got to speak with Campbell with a few other online reporters.  During the interview Campbell talked to us about why he wanted to direct the film, was there talk about doing 3D before production started, how they’re using a color palette for different parts of the movie, directing the flying scenes, casting Ryan Reynolds and Peter Sarsgaard,  the challenges of being the director on a 103 day shoot, and so much more.  Hit the jump to either read or listen to the interview.

GREEN LANTERN Set Visit Video Blog

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: May 17th, 2011 at 11:00 am

When you visit a movie set, you never know how many of the secrets will be revealed.  Sometimes you leave without learning much about the movie, and when the trailer is released and it tells you the whole story, you wonder why everyone was so guarded.  However, every once in awhile, you visit a set and you’re told everything.  In the case of my visit to the set of Green Lantern last summer in New Orleans, it was the latter.  While I walked in thinking Green Lantern might be a cool movie, I left absolutely blown away by the scope and scale of Warner Bros. next comic book movie.  Trust me, while the first trailer for Green Lantern was lackluster, everything I saw and learned on set told me director Martin Campbell’s Green Lantern is a full scale space opera and it smashes open the door for future comic book movies to tell even bigger stories.  I’m truly excited to see the finished film and if it comes together the way I think it will, Green Lantern will show audiences and the studios that comic book movies don’t have to stay on Earth, or even in this galaxy, to tell their story.

But let me back up a second.

It’s August 2010 and I’m in New Orleans on the last day of principal photography on Green Lantern.  While it’s hot and humid outside, I’m standing in a large air conditioned studio being shown hundreds of pre-production images.  They’re lined up on a few walls and each image shows a scene or location in the movie.  Again, while some set visits are guarded, the Green Lantern production is confident in their story and they’re willing to show us everything.  As I walk from drawing to drawing, I’m imagining the movie in my head, and I can’t believe where they take this story.  Much more after the jump.

Director Martin Campbell Won’t Return for GREEN LANTERN 2

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: May 16th, 2011 at 12:55 pm

Warner Bros. is already prepping Green Lantern 2 in the event that Green Lantern is a hit at the box office.  But if Hal Jordan does return to screens after this summer, it won’t be with director Martin Campbell at the helm.  In the latest issue of Total Film [via CBM], the Green Lantern director says “This film has become the instruction manual if they do any further ones. It’s what we call pipe laying.”  Yes, that is one definition of laying pipe.  Here’s another.

Not return for an immediate sequel is par for the course with Campbell.  Campbell did Casino Royale eleven years after he made GoldenEye and he directed The Legend of Zorro eight years after The Mask of Zorro.  Also, with post-production on Green Lantern coming down to the wire, I wonder if it’s an experience he wants to relive with a sequel.  We’ll find out if a sequel is even a possibility when Green Lantern opens in 3D on June 17th.

New GREEN LANTERN Poster Featuring Hector Hammond

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 11th, 2011 at 12:14 pm

A new Green Lantern poster has been released, this time focusing on villain Hector Hammond, played by Peter Sarsgaard. It’s a pretty spot-on poster, with Hammond making the obligatory “evil plan” face. It also serves as a reminder of just how grotesque Hammond becomes later on in the film, as witnessed in the trailer. I’ve been impressed by the footage we’ve seen so far, and I’m really hoping the finished product delivers.

Hit the jump to check out the poster. Green Lantern stars Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, and Peter Sarsgaard.  The film opens in 3D on June 17th.

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